Jole Blonde is often referred to as the Cajun national athem due to
widespread popularity and due to the historical nature of the song.

The original 1928 Jolie Blonde version by Amadie, Ophy, Cleoma Breaux
The first recording of the song Jolie Blon "Ma Blonde Est Partie" (Jolie Blonde) was made
in 1928 by Amadie Breaux (born 09/07/1900), his brother Ophy Breaux and his sister Cleoma Breaux.
It was recorded on the Old-Timey Records label. The vinal record is titled "Louisiana Cajun
Music Vol. 5 - The Early Years 1928-1938". (Old-Timey Records 114)

I have a copy of the vinal record, but I don't know if it is still available
or if it has been put on cassette or CD. I would suggest calling "Floyd's
Record Shop" in Ville Platte, Louisiana to find out if it is available. (If
you find out anything about availability, please email me and let me know).
Floyd's is the expert - they were the recording label for a lot of French
music in Louisiana. You can link to Floyd's from the "music retailers"
section of the Cajun and Zydeco Radio Guide.

To get this original version of the song on CD, I suggest getting the CD called
"Cajun Dance Party: Fais Do-Do" on the Columbia label # CK-46784. It has the original Jole
Blonde 1928 version. You can listen to a part of it by selecting "Ma Blonde Est Partie"
after you click Listen.

The 1935 Jole Blon version by Leo Soileau and the Hackberry Ramblers
Leo Soileau and his band the Hackberry Ramblers recorded a string band version of the song and
called it La Valse De Guedan in 1935. Leo Soileau's version of Jolie Blonde is also recorded on
the Old-Timey Records label. The vinal record is titled "Louisiana Cajun Music
Vol. 3 - The String Bands of the 1930's. (Old-Timey Records 110). Leo Soileau also recorded
under the name of Soileau & Robin on Louisiana Cajun Music Vol. 5 - The Early Years
1928-1938. (Old-Timey Records 114).

The 1946 Jole Blonde version by Harry ChoatesListen
Harry Choates made 3 variations of the Jole Blonde recording. His most famous version was called
"Jole Blon" and it was recorded in 1946. It was considered a big hit at the time.
Harry Choates is the musician that was known for making Jole Blon as popular as it is today.
(I have included a lot of info about Harry Choates further down this page.)
Harry Choates version is on the Arhoolie label CD
# 331
and Cassette # 331 that is titled
"J'ai Été Au Bal, Vol. 1" (I Went to the Dance, Vol. 1).

Harry Choates also recorded two lesser known variations of the song called Jole Brun and Mari Jole Blon.
They are on the Arhoolie label CD
# 380

In EnglishPretty blond, look at what you've done,
You left me to go away,
to go away with another, yes, than me,
What hope and what future am I going to have?

Pretty blond, you've left me all alone
To go back to your family.
If you had not listened to all the advice of the others
You would be here with me today.

Pretty blond, you thought there as just you,
There is not just you in the land to love me.
I can find another pretty blond,
Good God knows, I have a lot.

Since the Cajun musician Harry Choates was responsible for making the song as popular as it is
today, I am including info about Harry below:

Cajun musician Harry Choates's version(by Craig Harris) Born Dec 26, 1922 in Rayne, LA. Died Jul 17, 1951 in Austin, TX. Harry Choates was not only
one of the most influential musicians in the history of cajun music but one of its most tragic
figures. A wild, imaginitive, fiddler, Choates wrote such classic tunes as the cajun national
anthem, "Jole Blon" and popularized such songs as "Allons A Lafayette." Recording for Gold
Star, DeLuxe, D.O.T., Alklied, cajun Classics, Macy's and Humming Bird, Choates introduced
western swing, blues, jazz and country music to the two-steps and waltzes of southwest
Louisiana's bayous, influencing nearly every cajun musician who followed in his footsteps.

Born in either Rayne or New Iberia, Louisiana, Choates moved to Port Arthur, Texas, with his mother in the 1930s. Rather than going to school, Choates spent much of his childhood in bars and tavers, listening to honky tonk and blues records on the jukebox. By the age of twelve, Choates was playing fiddle in barbershops for tips.

Launching his professional music career in cajun bands led by Leo Soileau and Leroy
"Happy Fats" LeBlanc, Choates formed his own group, The Melody Boys, in 1946. The same year,
he rewrote the classic cajun tune, "Jolie Blone," for his daughter, Linda, and recorded it
for the Gold Star label. Although the tune became a country hit when covered by Aubrey "Moon"
Mulligan, Choates had given up all rights to the song and received no further compensation for
his composition. Choates and The Melody Boys continued to record at a prolific rate, releasing
more than two dozen songs for Gold Star in 1946 and 1947. Adapting the western swing of Bob
Wills And His Texas Playboys to cajun music, Choates became known as "the fiddle king of
cajun swing".

Although he performed with Jesse James And His Gang on radio station, KTBC, after the
disbanding of the Melody Boys in 1951, Choates suffering ended a few months later. His grave
was left unmarked until 1980 when money was raised for a gravestone with the bi-lingual
inscription, "Purrain De La Musique cajun - The Godfather of cajun Music"

In the mid-1960s, cajun musician Rufus Thibodeaux was one of the first to pay homage to
Choates' influence when he recorded an album of Choates' songs, A Tribute to Harry Choates.

Some American musicians also had popular versions of Jolie Blonde.

Roy Acuff's (early American Country musician) version:

In the evening, in the shadows,
I'll be waiting, in Louisi- an - a,
And when I hear your sweet voice,
I'll rejoice, I'll be happy,
And saving my kisses for you.
Jole Blon, cajun Angel,
Let me tell you how I love you,
In the springtime you promised,
That we would be married,
And I'm waiting, still waiting for you.
Oh - - ho - - ho, ah - - ha - - ha.
When your hair turns to silver,
I'll still call you, Delta Flower,
Pretty Blond I still love you,
I love you I promise,
And I'm patiently waiting for you.
Oh - - ho - - ho, ah - - ha - - ha.

Bruce Springsteen's (American Rock musician) version:

Jole Blon, you're my flower
You're my darling, you're my sunshine
I love you, I adore you
I promise to be true
Over here in the shadows
I will be waiting, I will
When I hear you're voice I rejoice
I save my love for you
Jole Blon, you're an angel
Can I tell you how I love you?
In the spring I swear we will be married
I'm waiting still for you
When your hair turns to silver
I will still call you my flower
Jole Blon I'll still love you
I'll save my love for you
We will go away from this city
We will go back girl, to our home
I swear some day I will take you
'Cause so far away we have roamed
And the bells they will ring
From the mountain to the valley
On the banks of the river
There you will be my bride